
10/06/2025
What to Do If ICE Raids Your Business: A
Step-by-Step GuideIt’s important for
entrepreneurs to understand their rights and
how to navigate an immigration raid should ICE
ever pay them a visit.
President Trump has begun to fulfill his
campaign promise to carry out the largest mass
deportation in American history. In the first
week of his second term, he signed a deluge of
executive orders targeting immigration.
Collectively, the measures inject even more
uncertainty into the business landscape,
leaving some founders unsure how to navigate.
Raids conducted by the U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement have reportedly already
begun. Undocumented workers employed at a fish
market in Newark, New Jersey, were detained in
an ICE raid last Friday.
“ICE has the authority to lie to people,” says
Veronica Cardenas, a former ICE prosecutor who
now is the founder of Humanigration, a firm
that provides information on immigration. “ICE
could tell the employer, ‘Oh, I’m here because
I’m just looking for this one person. Can we
look to see if this person’s in here?’ And
then they can get consent.” And with that,
they can freely enter your business.
Here’s what immigration attorneys advise,
should ICE come knocking.
Before a Raid
Every business owner should audit their
employee records for the possibility of a
raid, according to Constance Wannamaker, an
immigration attorney and founder of C.R.
Wannamaker Law.
“The reality is if you have a lot of
employees, you will likely not know whether
some of the documentation you receive from
your employees is valid,” Wannamaker explains.
“If you think you have employees that may be
subject to ICE enforcement, [you could] give
them information to help them protect
themselves, if you’re inclined to do so.”
Wannamaker shares that those rights include
staying silent during an ICE raid. Workers
don’t need to speak with agents, even if
agents ask questions.
“They should never admit they were not born in
the U.S.,” Wannamaker says. “They should never
say their citizenship. They should only say
their name and that they want to speak to an
attorney.”
She also recommends that working parents give
a neighbor power of attorney in the event that
they are detained. In that instance, that
would allow whomever has power of attorney to
take care of a detainee’s children in their
absence.
During a Raid
If ICE pays your business a visit, you should
ask the agents to present a warrant. If
they’re unable to do so, then you don’t have
to let them enter the premises.
In the instance that agents do produce a
warrant, make sure to examine it to see if
there’s a signature. If there’s no signature
from a judge, then you don’t have to let them
into your business.
A scenario that could play out: If ICE agents
present what’s known as an ICE warrant, look
closely, suggests Wannamaker. “ICE warrants
are not the same as a judicial warrant,” she
says. “So if a warrant for arrest or to pick
up someone is presented by an ICE officer,
it’s usually an administrative order signed by
some official, but not a judge, which means
that you don’t have to comply with it.”
You should also connect with your lawyer right
away, suggests Wannamaker. Have them “on speed
dial,” she advises. That way you can “make
sure that you have somebody that can come down
right away.”
Immigration law firm Grossman Young Hammond
recommends taking a picture of the warrant to
have key information on hand, like the names
of ICE agents and the attorney assigned to the
case. This way, you can also send a copy of
the warrant to your attorney.
Also make sure to understand the scope of the
warrant. Warrants are supposed to be specific,
delineating why ICE is there, what they intend
to search, the search location, and so on.
During a raid, it’s also advised to have a
company official accompany the ICE agent. And
if any company property is seized by agents
during a search, ask for a list of those items
to keep for your records.
After a Raid
Again, it’ll come back to working with an
attorney, but post-raid exposure to businesses
usually encompass potential penalties if they
are found to have employed undocumented
workers. Fines can range from hundreds of
dollars to tens of thousands, depending on how
many times a company has been fined for
employing an undocumented worker. But
according to Cardenas, fines can also be
negotiated.
“The fine will be dependent upon what they
find out, but there are usually fines,” she
says. “But there is a way you know to
negotiate fines after the fact, so it’s good
to have a lawyer that specializes in this type
of work.”